Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity (CPPFD), UNC Chapel Hill
Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
New Study by CSDE Affiliates Erosheva and Lee Finds Significant Black – White Differences in NIH Grant Award Outcomes
In a new study by CSDE Affiliates Elena Erosheva, Carole Lee and Statistics PhD student Sheridan Grant, the team has found significant Black-White difference in NIH Grant Award Outcomes. The team’s NIH R01 project has yielded several publications. Most recently, in their study, which sampled from over 54,000 R01 applications submitted between 2014-2016 by Black and White investigators, they assessed whether investigator race explains any part of the criterion scoring differences in the review process and how criterion scores are combined to produce the final review score. They used an exact matching approach to arrive at balanced samples and then a multilevel modeling analyses to evaluate outcomes. They find that funding award decisions for Black scientists is 55% lower than that for white scientists. They also find that an important explanation for gaps in final review scores is due to the preliminary criterion scoring where the Black-white gaps are high across all criteria. For more about the study, read the article published in Advances in Science in June 2020. Building on their findings, they have published an opinion letter in the Correspondence section of The Lancet to explain how even alternative approaches to funding grants might perpetuate racial disparities due to inequalities prior to or early on in the grant review process.
PAA Webinar: Navigating the Job Market During COVID-19
CSDE Trainee Spotlight: Maxine Wright
How does neighborhood change influence an individual’s wellbeing? What does this mean for their mental health? How do processes of urban displacement complicate our understanding of the neighborhood effects health framework? These are the types of questions that CSDE Trainee Maxine K. Wright aims to explore.
Maxine received her B.A. in Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology, an interdisciplinary program at Washington University in St. Louis and is currently a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Washington, working on her M.A. under the supervision of CSDE Affiliate and Professor of Sociology Jerald R. Herting. As a BIPOC scholar, Maxine is committed to applied research and using her research to empower the communities she studies in order to facilitate change. She takes an interdisciplinary and mixed-methods approach to her sociological research, and benefited from the mentorship of CSDE Director Sara Curran, particularly with regards to qualitative methods. She is a trainee in CSDE’s Graduate Certificate in Demographic Methods.
This year, Maxine is providing crucial support for CSDE as the organizer of CSDE Lightning Talks & Poster Session for Fall quarter. And don’t forget! CSDE trainees and other graduate students can submit project proposals for this quarter’s Lightning Talks & Poster Session HERE by Friday, October 23rd!
In addition to her academic research, Maxine is also involved with the Seattle/King County Public Health Department’s Communities of Opportunity initiative, which aims to generate sustainable solutions to disparities in housing, health, employment, and connectedness. In addition, she staffs the Seattle/King County Cities and Counties Fines and Fees Justice coalition, an ongoing grant funded by PolicyLink to mitigate the deleterious impacts of legal financial obligations on low-income communities of color.
*New* Request for Proposals: NIH Pilot Grants for Animal Models for the Social Dimensions of Health and Aging
Applications are open for NIH’s “Animal Models for the Social Dimensions of Health and Aging Research Network” pilot grant. These projects support research on animal models or comparative studies relevant for understanding the social determinants of health and aging. The grants will support 2 – 4 projects with start dates in 2021 and a maximum budget of $25,000. Project proposals should be submitted through the network website, no later than November 15, 2020. Applicants from US-based institutions are eligible to apply, and NIH strongly encourages applications from junior scientists and underrepresented minorities in biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences research. If you’re considering this funding opportunity, please consider filling out a proposal planning form and you will receive high quality and timely pre-award support for your application from our team!
David E. Bell Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Accepting Applications!
The Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS) is currently accepting applications for the next cohort of the David E. Bell Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Deadline for applications: 8 December 2020 at noon Eastern Time (U.S.).
The Bell Fellowship is an interdisciplinary, postdoctoral training program designed for researchers and practitioners in the fields of population sciences and/or population health. Through self-directed research, selected candidates examine a broad range of critical issues, most from within the HCPDS’s focal areas: 1) social and environmental determinants of population health; 2) aging societies; 3) workplace & well-being; and 4) social/family demography. In addition to research and writing, fellows participate in weekly seminars, professional development and other skill building seminars, and communications & media skills training.
The salary is $65K/yr plus benefits and a generous research, travel, and relocation fund. The program is open to U.S. and international candidates.
For detailed information, visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/cpds or contact Lesley Harkins at popcenter@hsph.harvard.edu
Panel: Policy Analytics and Population Health
This week, CSDE’s seminar is a panel discussion about policy analytics and population health. The COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters have revealed major underlying policy challenges for addressing underlying systemic shortcomings related to population health. Policy analytics acknowledges the complexities of the policy domain and offers some new ways to innovate around population health solutions. This week’s panel includes UW researchers from political science, health metrics, and environmental and occupational health. CSDE Affiliate and Executive Committee Member Professor Anjum Hajat will moderate the panel. Here is the line-up for this week:
Chris Adolph & Beatrice Magistro will present “Pandemic Politics: Understanding State-Level Social Distancing Policies and Mask Mandates in Response to COVID-19″
Ali Mokdad will present “IHME COVID-19 Model: Strategies to Control the Pandemic”
Nicole Errett, Scott Miles & Youngjun Choe will present “Integrating Physical Activity Data in Disaster Recovery Planning and Implementation”
Register for the Zoom seminar here.